Bundesliga: Where Did It All Go Wrong for Wolfsburg's Brazilian Playmaker Diego?

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has informed Diego that he should begin looking for a new club this week. It now looks as if the Brazilian playmaker will be suiting up for a third new club in just as many seasons.

However, life was not always so vagabond for the former Santos midfielder. In his three successful seasons with Werder Bremen, Diego was voted Bundesliga player of the month three times and player of the season in his first year. In his time with the Green-Whites, Diego earned a reputation as a stylish midfielder who could open up defenses with a telling pass, shoot from distance and deliver with deadly accuracy on set pieces. At the height of his form with the club, Diego even attracted interest from Real Madrid.

Diego's final season with Bremen was his most successful. The creative midfielder scored 20 goals in all competitions including six in the UEFA Cup. So successful was the Brazilian's 2009 season that he earned a €24.5 million transfer to Juventus.

However, despite some inspired moments on the pitch, Diego's sole season with the Serie A giants failed to live up to expectations. At the end of the 2010 season, he was sold to Wolfsburg for a club record fee of €15.5 million. Back in the Bundesliga, where he'd made his name following a short tenure with Portuguese side Porto, expectations abounded that the Brazilian national would be able to rediscover his best form.

Yet again, despite scoring in his debut game, Diego's season settled into a kind of unremarkable mediocrity. So indifferent was the Brazilian's form that on the final match day of the season against Hoffenheim, he was informed he would be starting on the bench. The player was so incensed at this news that he stormed out of the team hotel leaving Wolfsburg with only six players on the bench to choose from. The club later retaliated by fining him the maximum amount of €510,000.

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath attempted to come to some kind of reconciliation with the player during the offseason. Apparently the coach found the differences with the player to be irreconcilable, and the Brazilian was yet again told to pack his bags.

Speaking to Wolfsburg's website, Magath issued a statement saying, "After talking with Diego, it was clear that further cooperation will be difficult and so it is better to separate."

Previous rumors had linked Diego with a potential move to Liverpool who have been looking for a dependable midfield creative force since the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid two years ago. As of yet, nothing concrete has materialized. There has also been speculation circulating that the player may return to Santos where he began his professional career.

It is believed that Wolfsburg are prepared to let the 26-year-old playmaker go for somewhere in the region of €10 million.